After her grandmother had fully recovered, Zhan Chunlan finally took Xiao Cheng on their journey back to the city.
After spending two months in her hometown, Zhan Chunlan has changed quite a bit.
He ate and slept all day long, living a leisurely life. In fact, he grew taller and fatter than when he lived in the city, and his height is almost catching up with the normal height of a fifteen-year-old.
Of course, no matter how much she changed, it couldn't compare to Xiao Cheng's transformation.
On the return journey, Xiao Cheng stood on the deck once again. Recalling his high spirits when he set off and the poem he hadn't finished reciting, he couldn't help but shake his head and smile, sighing softly: Perhaps all of this really is the best arrangement.
He mimicked his earlier actions, facing the river and shouting loudly, "The light boat has passed—ten thousand... mountains!"
Zhan Chunlan had no time to pay attention to him. She was seasick and feeling terrible herself, so she didn't have time to care about what others were saying.
Jiangcheng, the dock.
Ms. Fang Yun stood frozen in place, her gaze fixed on the man in front of her who looked like a homeless man. She couldn't reconcile him with the handsome and clear-headed son she remembered.
The man in front of her was dark-skinned and thin, with hair so long it covered his eyes. He had a stubble beard, a hunched back, and clothes covered in patches. He exuded a sense of weariness and vicissitude, bearing none of the splendid and upright demeanor her son used to have.
She hesitated, then took a step forward, her hand trembling as she reached out and gently grasped Xiao Cheng's hand. The moment their fingertips touched, her heart clenched—his palm was frighteningly rough, the thin calluses digging into her chest with a sharp pain.
Without the slightest hesitation, she pushed her son in front of his father, Xiao Zhaoxing, and then turned to hug Chunlan, bursting into tears: "Lanlan, thank you so much. He's only been in the countryside for a few months and he's already like this. I really can't imagine what it would be like if Xiao Cheng really went to the countryside and didn't come back for several years."
“Child, you’ve worked hard too. Look at you, your face has gotten thinner, and your clothes can’t even cover your hands and feet anymore. What about the money and tickets I gave you? Don’t be stingy with them.”
Zhan Chunlan was both amused and exasperated. She had been worried all the way that Aunt Fang would blame her if she saw Xiao Cheng's appearance: "Aunt Fang, I have carefully managed the money you gave me. I haven't given a single penny to Xiao Cheng. I will return the rest to you later."
Fang Yun touched the little bit of flesh that had finally grown on the girl's face with a touch of tenderness, her eyes and heart filled with joy: "No need to pay it back, Aunt Fang has money, why would I bother with these things with Aunt Fang? Just take what I gave you, I have more here. I'll give you some more later, you're still growing, you can't skimp on what you should eat and wear."
Completely left out, Xiao Cheng couldn't help but mutter to himself: No... have I changed that much after just one trip? Don't you want to see your son? I'm the one who's really suffering, her? Why can't her clothes cover her hands and feet? That's because she's grown taller and fatter in the countryside, and she's never worked in the fields to earn work points.
Seeing the heartwarming scene of the family of three reunited before her, Zhan Chunlan felt it was inappropriate to disturb them any further, so she quietly turned around and prepared to leave silently.
Before she could even take a step, Fang Yun grabbed her wrist. Without a word, Fang Yun pulled out a thick wad of bills from her bag and stuffed them into Zhan Chunlan's cloth bag. Then, fruits, malted milk powder, biscuits, milk candy... all sorts of rare treats were piled up in her arms.
"Take him back and make sure he's well-fed! Look at you, you've been away for so long and you've only gained a little weight in your face. You can't skimp on yourself!"
Unable to refuse, Zhan Chunlan felt her face flush, experiencing this "sweet burden" for the first time in her life. The two of them "pulled" back and forth for several rounds by the bustling dock, but in the end, Zhan Chunlan couldn't resist Aunt Fang's enthusiasm. Carrying a large pile of things, she happily embarked on her journey home.
This trip to the countryside yielded more than the actual rural allowance, and I didn't even suffer any hardship. It was worth it.
She wished there were more jobs like this! She thought to herself happily: If I could have such a great job every quarter... why would I need to work? I could achieve "financial freedom" ahead of time!
Besides, she's not limited to one-on-one; she can handle one-on-many situations as well.
Returning home from the bustling crowd, I felt a little lost for a moment.
Everyone in the family has gone to work; no one is home except for Zhan Hongyu.
When he saw his third sister return, he didn't say anything, not even a greeting. He just said he wanted to eat meat and asked his third sister to buy some for him.
Zhan Chunlan simply couldn't bear to look at this "Yaozu." She felt it was bad luck to say another word to him. She rolled her eyes and went back to her room: "Buying meat again? I think you look like meat. Do you want to eat it or not?"
In the afternoon, Zhan Zhiqiang and Xu Lixia also went home after get off work.
The first thing Xu Lixia said to her was, "You're back? Why didn't you buy groceries and cook? You're such a grown woman, why are you waiting for me to wait on you?"
Zhan Hongyu also complained: "As soon as she came back, I asked her to go buy meat. I haven't eaten meat in a long time, but she ignored me!"
Zhan Chunlan has been forged into a heart of steel, and her heart is unmoved: "I've been on the boat all day and I'm still seasick. If you're not afraid that I'll throw up all the rice or vomit it into the pot, I can cook it."
Anyway, they're not her real parents. They didn't raise me when I was young, so I won't take care of you when you're old either. It's no big deal.
Xu Lixia's face stiffened, and she shoved her way into the kitchen: "We're all young ladies, but I'm destined to be a workaholic. After a long day of work, I still have to come back and serve you, this young lady."
Zhan Chunlan didn't care. It wasn't like she was eating it alone. She spoke as if she was cooking it just for me. Don't even think about CPU me.
The family finished their meal quietly. Zhan Chunlan quickly put down the bowls and went back to her room. She hadn't washed dishes in a long time and didn't want to.
Looking at her as if she were being chased by a ghost, Xu Lixia closed her eyes and circulated her inner energy: She's seasick today, so I won't hold it against her, it's only for one day.
After calming herself down, she opened her eyes and saw that Zhan Chunhua was also about to put down her chopsticks and leave. She immediately slammed the chopsticks down, startling everyone at the table: "Zhan Chunhua, are you leaving these dishes for me to wash?"
Zhan Chunhua quietly cleared away the dishes, feeling little emotion. It was something she had been doing since childhood, the same thing she did in the state-run restaurant. She had simply forgotten about it when she saw Zhan Chunlan return.
Zhan Chunlan lay on her "bed" with her eyes closed, trying to rest. She was truly exhausted. Whether it was the boat trip or the household chores, she was weary. She had always planned to find a job and move out! Somehow, things had veered so far off course; it was simply unacceptable!
After finishing her work, Zhan Chunhua went into the room and saw Zhan Chunlan still lying on her "bed." She was overjoyed. After hesitating for a moment, she finally spoke her mind: "Although the second brother is gone, you've always slept in your bed. You must be used to it by now, right? I'm going to sleep alone. Anyway, I'll be getting married soon, and this room will be all yours from now on."
Zhan Chunlan gave a nonchalant "hmm": "I don't want to bump heads with you either."
Actually, there was another reason: the three girls didn't feel much love and freedom in this family. Zhan Hongyu, such a small child, lived in a room that was bigger than the three sisters' rooms.
The thought that Zhan Chunhua is indeed getting married soon, and that after marriage she will still have to sleep with someone else, means that apart from the first two years after she was born, she rarely has the opportunity to sleep or live alone.
Such freedom is incredibly attractive to someone like her.
It was just a bed; I gave it to her.
There will be plenty of time in the future for me to sleep in a bed by myself, or even live in a house, so there's no need to rush.
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